Christopher Bocskei is a long-time resident of the Rutland community who is dead set against a sa国际传媒渨etsa国际传媒� facility being built on the corner of McCurdy Road, despite his own experiences with homelessness.

Bocskei said he didnsa国际传媒檛 have the best relationship with his father when he was young and was sa国际传媒渋nvited to leave home.sa国际传媒�

Bocskei found himself living on the streets and turning to the drug culture.

READ MORE: Petition started in protest of Kelownasa国际传媒檚 McCurdy Road supportive housing

READ MORE: Rutland community rallies against McCurdy house

sa国际传媒淚 spent about a year and a half on the street and ended up in the hospital for a month and a half after overdosing on some drugs that we made,sa国际传媒� he said.

Hesa国际传媒檚 been living in Rutland for around two decades now and is raising his children in what he calls a family-oriented community.

He spends his spare time coaching, working in the community garden and giving back to his neighbourhood.

sa国际传媒淲e absolutely need these facilities,sa国际传媒� he said about BC Housingsa国际传媒檚 sa国际传媒渨etsa国际传媒� facility slotted for McCurdy Road.

sa国际传媒淭hese facilities can absolutely work if they can find a model that works.

sa国际传媒淭he first error I see in this model is the proximity to the schools, which is a no brainer.sa国际传媒�

Bocskei said in a previous interview a better location for a project that allows drug and alcohol consumption on site is across the street from the RCMP detachment downtown.

When the project was first brought before Kelowna city council, it was pitched as a dry house serving graduates of a religious organizationsa国际传媒檚 program.

READ MORE: McCurdy project in Rutland gets go-ahead from Kelowna councillors

sa国际传媒淣ow theresa国际传媒檚 another story,sa国际传媒� Bocskei said.

The organization, Freedomsa国际传媒檚 Door, failed to raise the appropriate funds and the site, which had been rezoned by council, was purchased by BC Housing.

As the land was already rezoned, when the new application was brought back to council on June 17, councillors could only vote on the form and character of the development.

sa国际传媒淲e were not informed that this was going to be a wet facility where addicts would be supplied drugs potentially,sa国际传媒� Bocskei said.

sa国际传媒淭heysa国际传媒檙e going to need to feed their habits. Petty crime is going to increase and our kids are all going to be subjected to other things.sa国际传媒�

The 49-units purchased by BC Housing will have its day-to-day operations overseen by the Kelowna branch of the Canadian Mental Health Association.

At Wednesday nightsa国际传媒檚 information session at the Rutland Centennial Hall, the regional director for the interior region of BC Housing, Ann Howard, said the units would be rented out to a variety of people in need including those experiencing homelessness, those with physical and mental limitations and those who have addictions.

sa国际传媒淭here will be a variety of people,sa国际传媒� she said. sa国际传媒淚tsa国际传媒檚 not a homogeneous mix.sa国际传媒�

Gaelene Askeland, executive director of the Central Okanagan Journey Home Society, said if people have homes, issues such as crime and theft are likely to decline.

sa国际传媒淭he struggles we have with people outside sa国际传媒� the petty crime, the theft and that kind of stuff sa国际传媒� that comes along with people still being outside,sa国际传媒� she said.

sa国际传媒淚f we had every single one of those people housed, chances are, we would have a lot less problems.sa国际传媒�

Caitlin.clow@kelownacapnews.com
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